If you happen to own a consumer-level laptop, there’s a good chance that you’re restricted to a single VGA/RGB monitor output. If your notebook happens to have dedicated graphics, then you might be lucky enough to have that VGA output swapped out for a DVI output, maybe even an HDMI output too. Whatever the case, you’re most likely restricted to a single monitor output. By the same accord, you’ll need additional graphics cards for your desktop computer if you want to run a multi-display configuration. This not only proves to be pricey, but it can also become rather complicated.
Enter the Usability and Simplicity of USB
By contrast, USB ports are pretty easy to come by, especially when you start to consider all of those USB hubs that are available on the market. DisplayLink has been working on a special type of technology — they call it “Network Display” — for quite some time. It allows visual content to be transmitted over a standard USB connection. This technology can already be found in the Samsung SyncMaster 940UX LCD Monitor, for example. In addition to the usual VGA and DVI connections, you can also hook up this monitor via USB.
In order to provide this sort of functionality to everyone else, DisplayLink has produced the very compact USB-to-DVI adapter. More specifically, they call it the USB Graphics Adapter. The company had previously created a model that served as a USB-to-VGA/RGB adapter, but many of us want the ability to connect to LCD monitors using a digital output. This model, which is branded by a few different companies (like Sewell), provides that utility and functionality.
How Does It Work?
It’s actually just as simple as it sounds. The USB-to-DVI adapter allows you to connect just about any LCD monitor to your laptop or desktop computer using an available USB port. Included in the package was an additional DVI-to-VGA adapter, further opening the possibilities for you to connect to an LCD monitor.
In a nutshell, the adapter serves as an external video card, sending the video signal to the monitor in a language that it will understand. This works in tandem with your existing CPU and GPU. The DisplayLink website has a more extensive explanation, but there’s the Coles Notes version:
- DisplayLink software processes and interprets graphical commands from the operating system.
- The graphics are compressed using unique DisplayLink adaptive technology.
- Compressed data packets are sent via USB
- The adapter decodes the compressed data back into usable graphics data.
That’s really all there is to it. Remarkably simple, yet very functional.
I only had one unit to review, but they claim that you can connect up to six monitors to a single computer using this technology (assuming you have enough USB ports). I’d imagine that when you get up to a certain threshold, the performance will suffer considerably, because there’s only so much data that the USB bus can handle, not to mention the overhead to the rest of the system.
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Installation and Setup
As with most other USB peripherals, one of the primary goals with the USB-to-DVI adapter from DisplayLink is ease of use. People want a device that is easy to configure, easy to setup, and easy to use. There’s no sense in creating a product like this that requires a complicated installation process; if that were the case, consumers would be more inclined to purchase a decidedly more powerful (and more complex) solution.
Thankfully, the DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter is incredibly user friendly. I only ran into one minor snag during the installation process. Using the provided CD-ROM, I installed the required software for the USB adapter to function. This did not autoload, but it was very easy to find the required setup file. The issue came after the installation was complete, because there was confirmation window telling me that it was done. It was only after I plugged in the adapter and connected it to a monitor that I knew it worked.
Beyond the software installation and physical connection (USB to adapter, adapter to monitor), there really was nothing else that I needed to do. Right-clicking on the icon in the service tray opened up a few options, like if I wanted to extend my desktop or clone it, what resolution I wanted, if I wanted any rotation, and so forth. These functions can also be accessed through Windows Display Properties.
Performance
I’m not much of a PC gamer, so I wasn’t able to push the DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter to its limits. However, going through the usual activities of surfing the web, editing photos, and watching a few videos on YouTube, I found the performance to be more or less on par with the connection I’d get through my laptop’s integrated VGA-out port. I’d imagine that performance would not be as pleasing with graphically intense games, but that’s already a given when you have INTEL integrated graphics onboard.
The DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter is perfectly adequate for the needs of most average consumers, especially if all they need is a little extra workspace for video editing, photo viewing, web surfing, and other “normal” tasks. There are two versions of the adapter available and the only difference, it seems, is the maximum resolution they can output: 1600×1200 and 1280×1024. Even when using the VGA adapter, I was able to output a higher resolution than the built-in VGA port.
Putting the USB Graphics Adapter (UGA) through the benchmarks on PCMark and 3DMark were less than stellar. In fact, PCMark came back with an epic fail and 3DMark wasn’t even able to complete all the tests. If you plan on using this adapter for anything more than generic web surfing and other basic office type tasks, you will probably be disappointed. This is a little frustrating, but that’s the price you pay for USB convenience and easy setup.
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Conclusion
At the end of the day, I only have one major opinion about this product: I like it! The DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter, which you can find under a number of different brands, is incredibly easy to use and provides for a very convenient way to expand your desktop workspace. It works particularly well with notebooks, because laptops typically do not come with more than one video output. If you look at many laptops with integrated graphics, the only available output is VGA and this can be terribly frustrating when the monitor you want is DVI only.
Pricing will vary somewhat, but I found that the Sewell models were priced at under $150, providing a reasonably priced solution for people who want to expand their workspace and/or output graphics to a larger monitor. I would have liked a slightly more intuitive installation process, especially since this product is largely marketed at the less tech-savvy, but it was still easy enough to do. Performance will naturally not be perfect, but it’s perfectly suitable for most everyday purposes. Gamers need not apply.
Because it uses a standard USB interface, I can see how the DisplayLink USB Graphics Adapter would be a perfect candidate for a wireless USB application. Whether it be at a trade show or a store display, you can run multiple displays at up to 15 meters away! This is a truly innovative product and I’m sure that with some more development, we’ll see some more power for those gamers in the crowd.
Pros
- Very convenient, easy to use
- Reasonably priced, considering its convenience
- Graphics quality is acceptable for everyday use
- Virtually no configuration needed
- Very compact form factor
Cons
- May not be powerful enough for gaming, high-end video
- Running multiple units will surely reduce quality
- Pricier than equivalent standalone graphics cards
- Installation lacked confirmation screen
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